Australian selectors have named a Harvey Norman Jillaroos merit team, based on Australian players who took part in last Friday night's inaugural Holden Women's State of Origin match.

Eight New South Wales players received recognition in the merit team and nine Queenslanders made the list.

NRL Senior Manager of the Women's Elite Program, Tiffany Slater, congratulated those in the merit team, along with every player involved in the historic Origin.

"More than a million fans watched across screens and close to 7,000 packed into North Sydney Oval in what was a highly entertaining and tough Origin performance by both teams," Ms Slater said.

"Women's Rugby League took another significant step forward last week and there's plenty more to come this year – with the continuation of local competitions, the NRL Holden Premiership and a double-header Test Match for the Jillaroos and Kangaroos, against their Kiwi counterparts."

Jillaroos coach Brad Donald was pleased to see so many young girls and boys live at the match last Friday.

"For the coaching and selection staff, the quality of the match didn't surprise us – we've witnessed the continuing growth of women's rugby league for some time now," Donald said.

"It's fantastic to see more and more fans of all ages supporting our game and helping it reach new heights.

"Unfortunately we can't name every player in the merit team, but every player across both teams should feel very proud of the performance they delivered as part of the representative weekend."